


Night Changes

by beardyswrites



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Dylan O'Brien References, Flirting, Frozen (Disney Movies) References, Holding Hands, Ice Skating, M/M, Mild Language, One Shot, Skater Newt, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, clumsy Thomas, newtmas cuteness, no serious plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27980091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beardyswrites/pseuds/beardyswrites
Summary: When Thomas is invited to go ice skating with his best friend and crush Newt the weekend before Christmas, he sure doesn’t know what to expect. Cue dumb smiles, flirting, falling over and hand holding.Based on the prompt : ice skating in which one’s kinda unstable and clinging cutely to the other.
Relationships: Newt/Thomas (Maze Runner)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 58





	Night Changes

**Author's Note:**

> It's the beginnings of a very merry Newtmas!! :"D hope you all enjoy this little fic! <3

Thomas hadn’t known what to expect when his best friend had asked him if he wanted to go ice skating the weekend before Christmas, but it certainly hadn’t been this.

“Woah!” Thomas gasped.

The bright lights of the rink had been dimmed, replaced by a semi-darkness and pulsing disco lights, flashing in time to the music pounding through the overhead speakers. Fairy lights were strung about the space, tinsel hanging from the walls.

Newt beamed. “It’s really something, isn’t it, Tommy?”

If Thomas hadn’t had a crush on Newt before, he certainly would have fallen head over heels for him just from that breathtaking smile alone.

They gave the man at the hire counter their shoe sizes, took their skates and headed for the benches, pulling them on - Newt with an almost practiced ease.

Newt clambered down the giant steps, moving as naturally as if his skates were an extension of his feet. He waved. “Come on, Tommy!” he exclaimed excitedly.

Thomas’s walk resembled more of a waddle, a duckling scrambling to catch up to its mama. “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

They joined the line of excited kids all waiting to clamber out onto the ice. Finally, it was their turn.

“Gah!” Thomas gasped, grabbing onto the wall as he tentatively placed his feet on the ice, his skates already sliding on the slippery surface.

Somehow perfectly at ease, Newt chuckled, grabbing his arm. “Let’s get you away from the entranceway,” he said, his eyes twinkling. He pointed to where the ice had been less worn. “Come on, the surface is a little better over there.”

They stumbled around the rink in fits and starts, Thomas finding himself clinging to either the outer walls or Newt himself just to keep upright. His cheeks burned red, although he didn’t know if it was more from the cold or the embarrassment rocketing through him.

However, Newt didn’t seem to mind his lack of talent; for all his laughter, he helped Thomas stay on his feet, giving him the odd bit of advice here and there. “Bend your knees, it’ll help with your balance - that’s it -”

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, it was as if something _clicked_.

“There ya go, Tommy!” Newt crowed. “You’re getting it!”

His knees wobbling, Thomas grinned awkwardly at him. “You know, you’re good at this,” he commented. Newt wasn’t moving with any of the clunkiness Thomas was. “Like, _really_ good.”

Newt laughed. “Thanks, Tommy.”

“You come here after school or something?”

Newt froze. Smiling sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve been taking lessons the last six months.”

Thomas’s expression lit up. “That’s awesome, Newt! Why didn’t you say anything?”

Newt shrugged. “I guess it was something I didn’t want anyone else to be part of. Well,” he amended, a light blush staining his cheeks, “until now.”

Thomas was floored. Newt was sharing this with _him_.

“There’s something very peaceful about it,” Newt continued shyly. “It’s like meditating, but it’s ... not. It’s an _art_.”

“How’d you get into it?” Thomas asked, awed.

“One of my old friends, Teresa, got me into it before she moved overseas. This year I thought, why not?”

Thomas chuckled. “Might as well.” He glanced down and pouted. “You should’ve brought your own skates instead of using these crappy ones.”

Newt’s eyes twinkled. “I wanted to wear these. For you.”

His heartbeat roaring in his ears, Thomas turned to look at Newt - and lost his balance, his arms windmilling wildly. “Ahh -!”

“Careful, Tommy!” Newt laughed, grabbing his waist to steady him; lightning shot through Thomas. “Oh, bloody hell, here -”

His hand grasped Thomas’s.

Thomas swallowed nervously. “What if I fall?”

Newt beamed at him. “Oh, Thomas. I’ll always be here to catch you.”

And Thomas melted.

o-o-o-o-o

They followed the crowd circling the rink in an endless loop, lights dancing around them, chatter and laughter ricocheting about the space. There was a comfortable quiet between them, a connection that went beyond words. People moved around them, but Thomas was lost in his own little world, in his own little infinity with Newt.

The song changed again, and Newt’s expression softened. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and smiled, tilting his head back. “This was one of the first show songs I learnt here,” he whispered.

Thomas could hardly breathe. He was _entrancing_.

His arms spreading, Newt drifted away from Thomas, moving with the music. Thomas stared, his jaw dropping open.

There was something that _changed_ when Newt stepped foot on the ice. The quiet, reserved Newt that Thomas had always known and respected suddenly became graceful, _elegant_ , like a swan gliding about the frozen waters.

The soft blue lighting illuminated Newt in the most entrancing of ways, highlighting his jawline, the slant of his nose, the flutter of lashes.

It was as if Newt _himself_ changed, opening up, becoming vulnerable in a way Thomas had never seen before. This was Newt in his truest form, unguarded.

He was astounded, grateful; _humbled_. Newt was showing a part of himself he usually kept tucked away.

Newt turned, his gaze lifting to lock with Thomas’s.

Thomas fell over.

His eyes widening, Newt rushed forward, the spell broken. “Tommy!” he cried, his voice strained with laughter. Kneeling down, he grabbed Thomas’s hand, pulling him into a sitting position. “Bloody hell, you alright, mate?”

Thomas blinked dazedly, a dark blush staining his cheeks. “Yeah. Uh, yeah, I think so,” he said, wincing. It was his pride that had been wounded more than anything.

Chuckling, Newt threw him a dazzling smile, and Thomas’s heart turned over in his chest. “Come on,” he chuckled, gracefully rising to his feet, their hands still clasped. “Let’s get you up and do something about that bruised pride of yours.”

A laugh burst from Thomas’s mouth as he awkwardly clambered to his feet; Newt had seen right through him.

o-o-o-o-o

It turned out the cure was eating hot chips in the stands, melting ice falling off their skates as they laughed at the varied shows of experiences out on the rink.

“Look look look look - oh, no!” Thomas groaned as someone else took a tumble.

Newt was laughing, looking around at the kids gliding about with metal zimmer frames to keep them upright. Clearing his throat, he suddenly pointed. “Say, that looks like fun,” he drawled.

A pair of instructors were setting up two cones and a horizontal pole in the centre of the ice; within seconds there was a line of people, both children and adults alike, waiting to take their best shot.

“Limbo!” Thomas exclaimed excitedly. He turned to Newt, his eyes alight and eager. “Can we?”

Newt threw his head back and laughed fondly, the sound loud and infectious, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Alright,” he grinned. “Time to make utter fools of ourselves.”

Laughing, Thomas let him lead the way onto the rink, his heart pounding, a warmth oozing through him that had _everything_ to do with Newt.

The moment they stepped foot on the ice, the speakers crackled with the beginnings of a new track.

_“The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside ...”_

Thomas gasped, grabbing at Newt’s arm as they toddled forward. “I love this song!” he yelled in his ear over the cheers of the other children on the rink.

_“Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know ...”_

“WELL NOW THEY KNOW!” Thomas threw his arms wide. “LET IT GO, LET IT GO!” he sang at the top of his lungs. He grabbed Newt’s hand, pulling him forward. “CAN’T HOLD IT BACK ANYMOOORE!”

“Tommy!” Newt laughed, smiling so wide his cheeks were hurting.

“I DON’T CARE WHAT THEY’RE GOING TO SAY -”

Enthusiastically caught up in the moment, Thomas slipped and fell over - but not before he accidentally dragged Newt down with him.

“ _Tommy_!” Newt shouted, laughing.

Thomas had barely hit the ice before the apologies were spewing from his mouth. “Oh my god, oh my god - _shit_ , Newt, are you okay?”

Newt only laughed harder, falling sideways into him. “Oh, my bloody god. You’re such a dork!”

However, as they left the skating rink hand in hand an hour later, Newt pressed a kiss to Thomas’s cheek, a searing warmth against his icy skin.

_Yeah,_ he thought with a grin, a blush spreading across his face. _I could get used to this._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!
> 
> This was a little request I got a few weeks ago, and I had so much fun writing it!! It was really nice to write something cute and fluffy that didn’t have to fit into a much bigger story picture - in fact, I found it a little challenging at first, admittedly! I guess I really wanted to do something for the fandom, and spread some Christmas cheer after everything this year. And as a bit of a thank you for supporting all my other works!! <3 <3
> 
> I mean, it also gave me the excuse to go to my local ice rink for "research" haha!!
> 
> Who else picked up on the Dylan O’Brien reference?! I was watching his video and laughing SO hard!! I couldn’t not add it in! On that note, who else noticed the Mama Noot duckling waddle, and Kaya (Teresa) in Spinning Out?! ;D
> 
> I hope this made you smile!! <3 please feel free to leave comments and/or kudos if you liked this! Thank you for keeping me inspired :”D <3


End file.
